Automotive compressor



June 289 19271, 11,6339764 N. A. CHRISTENSEN AUTOMOTIVE COMPRESSOR Filed Aug. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Shea? 2 @lg/zia? 7 mym carentes June 2s, 1927.

NIELS. CHBISTENSEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMOTIVE comrnnsson.

lAppleman med' August s. 1925. serial No. 47,933.

The invention relates to compressors, and

` more particularly to compressors for the air brake equipment of automotive vehicles.

Heretofore it has been the general practice to mount the compressor adjacent the engine and drive the same Afrom auxiliary shafting .associated with the engine, such as the magneto drive shaft, the compressor being a tseparate unit. The object ofthis invention is-fto .provide a compressor in which the crank case is formed by the front or gear cover plate of the engine, for inspecting thebearings of the compressor upon removal of the compressor cylinder and said cover plate, whereby the compressor may be readily associated with the engines now in use by the substitution of acover plate embodyine the invention, and whereby the engines ci new design. may be readily equipped ac with the compressor unit.

- conclusion hereof.

The invention` further Aconsists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the .iin the'drawings:

vthe apparatus embodying'the invention.; A

Fig.` 2 isa detail vsectional view..taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation v1ew-of the gear or Y front cover .plate' with parts of the 'com- -tion of thecompressor showing the incor-vporationof a lubricating trough.

In the :drawings: the numeral 6 designates an internal combustion engine of automotive e, in which the timing gears for the cam t p siiaft drivel, and other gears for the generator 4drive and the fan arermounted at the front end Aof the crankcase 7 of the engine, within a housing formed by the and a frontcover plate. According to the present invention, the front cover'plate 8 1s specially designed to form the crank case 9 of the compressor and has a mounting pad or portion 10 formed thereon to support the cylinder' 11 of thefcompressor. The front end 12 of the crank shaft of theengiue ex-v tends through the housing or crank case 10 into a recess 13 in the front trunnion bearwith a provision Fig. '1- is a front elevation -View of an automotive engine equipped with englne crank case I a the crank shaft is within the engine crank case proper adjacent the front cover plate.

The cylinder 11 of the compressor has a flanged base 15 provided with holes to take the bolts V16 that extend into the pad 10 of the cover plate. The cylinder may be bolted down directly to this pad or bolted thereto with a lubricating trough @fitting 11, as shown in Fig. 6. I

A piston 17 works in the 'cylinder of the compressor and is operatively 'connected to the frontend of the crank shaft 12 by means of a wristpin 18 and connecting-rod 19, with its adjustable big end bearing 19", whose valves are formed as an eccentric strap to fit over and be` secured in operative position bythe bolts 20 upon the eccentric 20 keyed to the crankshaft adjacent a balancer 21, Where such isprovided, the eccentric having a counterbalance weight-22 associated therewith.

The inlet andv exhaust valves ofthe com- `pressor'gare not shown indetail, but may be of any suitable construction.

. The pad portion 10 of the gear housing has a bore 23. formed therein communicating with the crank case 9 and a slot 24. The side 25 of the cover late extends u wardly at an angle to the pad) 24 at its rear: end is alined with and merges into an opening 26 in the part 25g' The base 15 of the compressor cylinder, or the ittin- 11 with which the boxniay be associatei` covers the opening 23 and extends into a position adjacent the vertical wall 25, and a plate 27 secured by screws 28 covers the opening 26 when the compressor is assembled. WVith this construction the piston 17. of the compressoris driven by a crank shaft 12 of the englne to compress lair in the cylinder and expel it to the reservoir. As the cylinder is removable independent of4 the cover plate, the rings and wrist-pin .maybe readily inspected or renewed when desired, by taking ofi the cylinder 11. In case any adjustment or renewal of the big end bearing 19 of the end of the crank shaft and thus permit ready portion 10`an the slot or coverplate 8, by an endwise l' lil the' big end of the connecting-rod and ind its way into the crank case of the motor, and return to the main oil sump ofv the engine. As shown, the cylinder headof the compressor has a cooling space 29 into which the lu.`

bricating oil of the main engine is forced and from which the oil Hows through a passage 30 into the lower end of the cylinder and then to the crank case 9. In somer` instances a trough 31, supplied with oil from the passage 30, is formed in the member 11 and the lower end of the piston dips into this trough so as -to oil the cylinder walls, the oil overflowing from said trough to the crank case. A starter claw 32 has a threaded shank 33 engaging in a threaded bore in the shaft 12 and associated with a sleeve 34 which bears against the eccentric 2O shown in Fig. 2 'as keyed to the shaft 12 and held by said claw 34 between the balancer 2l and the sleeve 34 against longitudinal movement. rIhe features of coolingthe head and lubricating the cylinderare more particularly described and claimed in my copendingapplication for compressor or motor, Ser. No. 720,782, filed June 18, 1924.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any specific form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims or necessitated by the prior art.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In an automotive engine, the combination of a front cover plate forming a closure for the front end of the engine crank case having a forwardly extending compressor crank case poution, an engine crank shaft extending into such portion, said cover plate having 'L cylinder-supporting portion, an air compressor cylinder `mounted on said cylinder-supporting portion, a piston -working in said cylinder, a crank member within said compressoxcrank case mounted directly on and continuously driven by said crank shaft,

and a driving connection between said piston and said crank member. n

2. In an automotive engine, a removable front cover plate having a compressor crank case portion into whichv a shaft of the engine extends, said cover plate also having a compressor-cylinder-supporting portion, a cylinder removably mounted on said supporting portion, a piston working in said cylinder, a driving connection between said pis- `portion and a wall adjacent the cylinder, a`

compressor cylinder associated with said cylinder-supporting portion, av piston working in said cylinder, a drive shaft, and a driving connection between said shaft and said piston including a connecting-rod, said cylinder-support portion and said wall being slotted to permit movement of said cover plateto a position for inspection of the main bearing of said connecting rod-without removing said connecting-rod.

4;. In an automotive engine, the combination of a removable front cover plate having apcompressor crank case portion, said cover plate having a compressor-cylinder- 'supporting portion, a compressor cylinder removably mounted on said supporting portion, a piston Working in said cylinder, an engine-driven shaft, a driving connection between said piston and said shaft including a coi'inecting-.rod having an adjustable big end bearing associated with said shaft, said cover plate being so constructed and arranged as to permit itsremoval for adjustinent. or inspection of said big end bearing while said bearing is associated with said shaft. I

5. ln an automotive engine, the combination of a detachable Vfront cover plate having a part forming .the crankcase of an a'ir compressor and also having a cylindersupporting portion for saidcompressor and anengine trunnion bearing portion at the front end of said compressor crank case portion, an air coxnpressor cylinder mounted on said cylinder-supportin portion, a piston Working in said cylinr er, and a direct driving connection between said piston and the crank shaft ofthe engine.

v6. In an automotive engine, the combination of av detachable front cover plate having a part forming the crank case of an air compressor, andl also having a cylinder-supporting portion for said compressor and an engine trunnion bearing portion projectin from the front end of said compressor orang case, the crank shaft of the engine extending into said compressor crank case portion, an air compressor cylinder mounted on said cylinder-supporting portion, a piston working in` said cylinder', an eccentric mounted on said crank shaft Within said crank case, a starter claw associated with said eccentric to prevent longitudinali movement thereof, and a connecting-rod operatively lconnecting said piston and said eccentric.

7. ,ln an automotive'engine, the combina.;

tion Witii the engine crank shaft and the main crank ycase of the engine, of a front cover plate detachably secured tothe crank case of the engine, andfhavi'ng a compressor crank case `portion and. a trunnion bearinglportion projecting from said compressor crank case portion, and compressor. drive means yvithin said` cover piate including an eccentric associated with said. crank shaft adjacent' said trunnion bearing portion.

y 8. ln an automotive, engine,' the combination with the engine `crank shaft and `the mainy crank ,casel of 'the engine, of a front cover plate detachably secured to the crank ycase' of the engine and having a compressor crank case portion and a trunnion bearing "portion at the front end of said compressor crankl case, said crank shaft .having a lthreaded `end, compressor drive means including an eccentric mounted on said crank tiire. i ,y NiiaLs A. -oHRisTENsEN- 

